Abstract for SHOT 2007.
Bottled water is the fastest growing beverage industry in the world, including Norway. “Selling sand in Sahara” is a well-known phrase for trying to sell something that is ubiquitous and free for all. “Selling water in Norway” would seem to be a good local analogy to this phrase. We have some of the best tap water in the world. It rains all the time. In short, there is no lack of free, good water. Yet, bottled water has become immensely popular in Norway. Not only do the domestic brands Farris and Imsdal sell increasing amounts of water, global brands like Evian, Perrier, and San Pellegrino and various bottled waters from the multinational companies Coca-Cola and Nestlé have also gained a foothold in the Norwegian market. In bottled water, many contradictory and yet complementary characteristics meet and blend: the local and the global; the natural and the scientific; the necessities of life and the extravagance of consumerism. All of these characteristics work together to blur the boundaries of what is natural and what is unnatural about bottled water.
This paper will examine the interplay between technology and environment in creating the imagined landscapes of bottled water – the evoked glaciers, mountain ranges, volcanic stones, and natural springs that are frequently used in the marketing of bottled water and how this is embedded in the water through technological means. Some good examples include “the radioactive water” Salus from the 1920s, the “volcanicity” of Volvic water of the 1990s, and the brand new “functional” waters containing additives like vitamins, caffeine, and fiber. By looking at the changing technologies and marketing of American and European bottled waters from the beginning of the 1900s until the present, this paper will discuss the commodification of nature and the role technology plays as a mediator in this process.